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Cover of Snow (Hardcover)

Staff Reviews

Small towns have secrets. That’s no surprise to anyone who’s ever lived in one, but the depth of those secrets is what Nora Hamilton has to explore in Jenny Milchman’s debut, Cover of Snow (no signed copies that we’re aware of, but if that changes, obviously we’ll let you know).

Nora’s husband, Brendan, is a police officer in their small town of Wedeskyull, NY. And one snowy January morning, Nora wakes up to an awful silence; her husband has hanged himself. She is beyond stunned, and as she tries to make sense of what has happened, Nora discovers that things in Wedeskyull are not as peaceful as she has always believed, and that the secrets the town hides go back farther than she could have ever imagined.

Cover of Snow might very well have slid beneath my radar except that Jenny and her husband stopped by to discuss it this past summer (the personal touch matters!), and had I missed it, that would have been a shame. This is an excellent book! Milchman captures the biting winter cold, the sense of isolation that Nora feels as an outsider and her growing fear as she realizes she doesn’t know who she can trust. Having lived in a small town, I understood the fine line that residents can walk beween feeling wrapped in the comfort of knowing everyone and how quickly that comfort can turn into a feeing of being trapped.

While the first chapter seemed a bit choppy to me, the story was so compelling that I couldn’t stop reading it, and Jenny Milchman’s style smoothed out and took off. She has created memorable and astonishing characters, and I feel like I really know these people. Her ability to use the weather and the town almost as characters on their own is excellent.

I love finding debut authors, and Jenny Milchman is one to take note of!

— Fran

January 2013 Indie Next List

“Small towns have secrets. That's no surprise to anyone who has ever lived in one, but the depth of those secrets is what Nora Hamilton must explore in Milchman's debut. Nora's husband, Brendan, is a police officer in their small town of Wedeskyull, New York. One snowy January morning, Nora wakes up to an awful silence, and finds her husband has hanged himself. She is beyond stunned, and as she tries to make sense of what has happened, Nora discovers that things in Wedeskyull are not as peaceful as she has always believed and that the secrets the town hides go back farther than she could have ever imagined. I love finding debut authors, and Jenny Milchman is one to take note of!”
— Fran Fuller, Seattle Mystery Bookshop, Seattle, WA

Description

WINNER OF THE MARY HIGGINS CLARK AWARD Jenny Milchman's "Cover of Snow" is a remarkable debut, a gripping tale of suspense in the tradition of Gillian Flynn, Chris Bohjalian, and Nancy Pickard. Waking up one wintry morning in her old farmhouse nestled in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, Nora Hamilton instantly knows that something is wrong. When her fog of sleep clears, she finds her world is suddenly, irretrievably shattered: Her husband, Brendan, has committed suicide. The first few hours following Nora's devastating discovery pass for her in a blur of numbness and disbelief. Then, a disturbing awareness slowly settles in: Brendan left no note and gave no indication that he was contemplating taking his own life. Why would a rock-solid police officer with unwavering affection for his wife, job, and quaint hometown suddenly choose to end it all? Having spent a lifetime avoiding hard truths, Nora must now start facing them. Unraveling her late husband's final days, Nora searches for an explanation--but finds a bewildering resistance from Brendan's best friend and partner, his fellow police officers, and his brittle mother. It quickly becomes clear to Nora that she is asking questions no one wants to answer. For beneath the soft cover of snow lies a powerful conspiracy that will stop at nothing to keep its presence unknown . . . and its darkest secrets hidden. Praise for "Cover of Snow" "Well-defined characters take us on an emotional roller-coaster ride through the darkest night, with blinding twists and occasionally fatal turns. This is a richly woven story that not only looks at the devastating effects of suicide but also examines life in a small town and explores the complexity of marriage. Fans of Nancy Pickard, Margaret Maron, and C. J. Box will be delighted to find this new author."--"Booklist" (starred review) "Milchman reveals an intimate knowledge of the psychology of grief, along with a painterly gift for converting frozen feelings into scenes of a forbidding winter landscape."--"The New York Times" "Milchman makes readers] feel the chill right down to their bones and casts a particularly effective mood in this stylish thriller."--"Kirkus Reviews" "Milchman tackles small-town angst where evil can simmer under the surface with a breathless energy and a feel for realistic characters."--"The Seattle Times" "The plot unfolds at an excellent clip . . . ultimately rushing headlong to a series of startling revelations."--San Francisco Journal of Books "Milchman expertly conveys Nora's grief in a way that will warm hearts even in the dead of a Wedeskyull winter."--"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)

About the Author

Jenny Milchman lives in New Jersey with her family. As Night Falls is her third novel.

Praise For…

Praise for Cover of Snow

“Well-defined characters take us on an emotional roller-coaster ride through the darkest night, with blinding twists and occasionally fatal turns. This is a richly woven story that not only looks at the devastating effects of suicide but also examines life in a small town and explores the complexity of marriage. Fans of Nancy Pickard, Margaret Maron, and C. J. Box will be delighted to find this new author.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Milchman reveals an intimate knowledge of the psychology of grief, along with a painterly gift for converting frozen feelings into scenes of a forbidding winter landscape.”—The New York Times

“Milchman makes [readers] feel the chill right down to their bones and casts a particularly effective mood in this stylish thriller.”—Kirkus Reviews

“Milchman tackles small-town angst where evil can simmer under the surface with a breathless energy and a feel for realistic characters.”—The Seattle Times

“The plot unfolds at an excellent clip . . . ultimately rushing headlong to a series of startling revelations.”—San Francisco Journal of Books

“Milchman expertly conveys Nora’s grief in a way that will warm hearts even in the dead of a Wedeskyull winter.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Everything a great suspense novel should be—tense, emotional, mysterious, and satisfying . . . Let’s hope this is the start of a long career.”—Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Wanted Man

“Cover of Snow is a darkly atmospheric first novel that challenges all sorts of romantic notions we might harbor about small towns and the people we think we can trust. Luckily, heroine Nora Hamilton—and writer Jenny Milchman—have the skill and fortitude to lead readers through a suspenseful story of switchbacks and surprises. A mystery that will draw in fans of darker fare as well, Cover of Snow is reminiscent of Margaret Maron’s work, which is about the highest praise I can bestow.”—Laura Lippman, New York Times bestselling author of And When She Was Good

“A terrific debut.”—Harlan Coben, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Seconds Away